Removable seat assembly for all-terrain vehicles

ABSTRACT

A removable seat assembly for mounting on an all-terrain vehicle, which seat assembly is characterized by a base plate frame for mounting on an ATV and receiving a fixed or rotatable pedestal or a pedestal having a rotatable pedestal flange, and a seat attached to the pedestal or the pedestal flange. The base plate frame is designed to permanently or removably weld, clamp or bolt on the utility rack of an all-terrain vehicle or mount on a seat slide, and a swivel mechanism may be interposed between the seat pedestal and the seat or between the seat pedestal and the base plate frame or seat slide to facilitate rotation of the seat with respect to the base plate frame and the all-terrain vehicle. In another embodiment a pair of support arms extend upwardly from a support arm mount secured to the rotatable seat, pedestal or pedestal flange and terminate in a top frame carrying a cover to protect and camouflage the occupant of the seat. A gun or camera rest extends from fixed attachment to the seat or to the support arms or pivotally and adjustably from a pair of brackets attached to the support arms, to facilitate resting of a shotgun, rifle or camera held by the occupant of the seat for sighting and shooting purposes. Alternatively, the support arms can be mounted directly on the base plate frame and the seat pedestal either fixed to the base plate frame or provided with a swivel to facilitate rotation of the seat with respect to the support arms and the gun rest.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and incorporates by reference prior filed copending application Ser. No. 60/442,704, filed Jan. 28, 2003.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A seat assembly for permanently or removably mounting on three and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATV), which seat assembly is characterized by a seat (typically having a backrest) mounted on a pedestal, which pedestal may be directly attached in stationary fashion to a base plate and base plate frame or to a seat slide removably secured to the ATV. Alternatively, or in combination with the seat slide, the seat pedestal may be mounted on a swivel device secured to the base plate and base plate frame or the seat pedestal may have a rotatable pedestal or a pedestal flange attached to the seat. In either case, the seat can be both linearly adjusted and rotated through a selected range of motion, typically 360-degrees, when the base plate frame is welded or removably bolted or clamped, typically to the utility rack of the all-terrain vehicle. In a preferred embodiment a support arm mount is attached to the rotatable pedestal or to the seat or to a rotatable pedestal flange, to support one or more, and preferably two, upwardly-extending support arms that typically terminate in a top support or frame having a cover for camouflaging and/or shading and shielding an occupant of the seat from the sun and rain. Accordingly, under circumstances where the seat pedestal is mounted on a swivel plate device or the seat is attached to a rotatable pedestal flange or pedestal, the entire seat, support arm mount, support arms, top frame and cover are rotatable with the seat, typically in a 360-degree range. Alternatively, the support arms can be mounted directly to the base plate frame or the base plate in stationary fashion to facilitate rotation of the seat in 360-degree fashion with respect to the fixed support arms, top frame and cover.

[0003] In another preferred embodiment of the invention a curved gun rest is fixed to the upward-standing support arms or pivotally and adjustably mounted on a pair of brackets attached to the support arms, or to the seat itself, to facilitate resting a rifle or shotgun on the gun rest at a selected elevation for aiming or sighting and shooting. The gun rest may be padded and can also serve to steady a camera for still and moving picture shots, as desired. One or more curved top and bottom support arm braces may also connect the respective upwardly-extending support arms for strengthening and stabilizing the support arms and for supporting a camouflaged protective cover.

[0004] Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the seat element of the seat assembly of this invention is mounted on a pedestal which may be fixed to the base plate on the base plate frame, or to a seat slide, either alone or with the upward-standing support arms and top frame, or the seat pedestal may be mounted on a swivel or have a rotatable pedestal flange for receiving the seat, when the support arms are fixed to the base plate frame. Alternatively, both the seat and the support arms may be rotatably mounted for rotation with respect to the base plate frame or seat slide and base plate, as well as the all-terrain vehicle, as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0006]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the removable seat assembly of this invention;

[0007]FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a fixed mounted removable seat assembly;

[0008]FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the removable seat assembly illustrated in FIG. 1, more particularly illustrating a swivel provided on the seat for mounting the seat to the seat pedestal;

[0009]FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a gun rest bracket, more particularly illustrating a preferred adjustment feature for pivotally raising and lowering the gun rest with respect to the fixed gun rest bracket;

[0010]FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternative preferred embodiment of the removable seat assembly, more particularly illustrating the seat assembly mounted on a seat slide;

[0011]FIG. 6 is a front view of another embodiment of the removable seat assembly, with the seat pedestal and swivel plate elements exploded for brevity;

[0012]FIG. 7 is a side view of the removable seat assembly illustrated in FIG. 6, more particularly illustrating hand grips on the support arms and a padded gun rest adjustably extending from the support arm;

[0013]FIG. 8 is an exploded side view illustrating an alternative preferred embodiment of the removable seat assembly wherein a seat gun rest extends directly from a gun rest seat plate attached to the seat; and

[0014]FIG. 9 is a front view of the removable seat assembly illustrated in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in a preferred embodiment the seat assembly of this invention is generally illustrated by reference numeral 1 and includes a seat 2 of suitable design, typically fitted with an optional backrest 3, the seat 2 being mounted on the pedestal support 6 of a pedestal 5 in any convenient manner. For example, a pedestal flange (not illustrated) may be fitted with bolt openings for receiving mount bolts (not illustrated) that typically threadably extend into inserts (not illustrated) provided in the bottom of the seat 2 or are otherwise bolted onto the seat 2 as deemed expedient, for mounting the seat 2 securely on the pedestal support 6 of the pedestal 5. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the pedestal support 6 may be further typically attached in any convenient manner known to those skilled in the art to a swivel 11, secured in like manner to a bottom pedestal flange 9. The swivel device 11 is, in turn, similarly connected to a base plate 18 and the swivel 11 includes a swivel bearing 13, to facilitate 360-degree rotation of the seat 2, the connected backrest 3 and the pedestal 5 with respect to the base 18, mounted on the plate frame 16, typically by means of mount bolts (not illustrated).

[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings the base plate 18 is typically welded, but may be bolted to the base plate frame 16, typically constructed of frame members 17, which base plate frame 16 is designed to fit on a conventional utility rack 41, typically located in the back or front of a three or four-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) 40, illustrated in phantom. Accordingly, the base plate frame 16 may be welded or removably bolted or clamped to the ATV 40, typically by means of ATV U-bolts 20 and corresponding nuts 15, as further illustrated in FIG. 2. The bottom pedestal flange 9 typically mounts the pedestal support 6 to the base plate 18 by means of mount bolts 7 b.

[0017] In the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings a support arm mount 21 extends through a pedestal slot 7 a in the pedestal support 6 as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings and may be fixed or adjustably oriented therein, as deemed necessary. A pair of support arms 22 typically extend upwardly in parallel relationship from the support arm mount 21 and a top frame 24 is attached to the top ends of the support arms 22, typically by welding, to corresponding parallel top frame mount members 25, as further illustrated in FIG. 1-3. The top frame 24 includes the parallel top frame mount members 25, (welded or otherwise secured to the upper ends of the support arms 22 in any convenient fashion according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art), as well as a front member 26 and a rear member 27, spanning opposite ends of the top frame mount members 25. A top support arm brace 30 and/or a bottom support arm brace 31 may be welded or otherwise attached to the support arms 22 near the top and bottom thereof, respectively, and are typically curved to accommodate a hunter or user (not illustrated) sitting on the seat 2 between the upwardly-extending support arms 22 and beneath the top frame 24. The top frame 24 may also be fitted with a cover 28 (FIG. 1) of any desired material, to provide shielding of the occupant of the seat 2 from the elements. The cover 28 may be camouflaged and may also extend around the top support arm brace 30 and the bottom support arm brace 31, as well as downwardly from the front member 26, as hereinafter described.

[0018] As further illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings a pair of curved gun rest brackets 33 are typically welded or otherwise attached to the respective support arms 22 and have corresponding bracket pivot pins 34 pivotally secured to the respective ends of a pivotally adjustable, curved gun rest 37. Spaced-apart bracket adjusting openings 35 are provided along the curvature of the gun rest brackets 33 for selectively receiving corresponding bracket adjusting pins 36, extending through adjusting pin plates 38 which are welded or bolted to the respective ends of the gun rest 37 (FIG. 4). A spring 39 is interposed between each of the gun rest brackets 33 and the corresponding adjusting pin plates 38 to bias the bracket adjusting pins 36 in place. This mechanical arrangement facilitates pivotally raising and lowering the gun rest 37 on the bracket pivot pins 34 and locating the gun rest 37 in a desired angular configuration with respect to the horizontal, thus allowing a rifle, shotgun or camera to be placed on the gun rest 37 by the user or occupant while seated in the seat 2 for sighting and shooting purposes Padding 37 a may also be provided on the gun rest 37 (FIG. 3). Positioning of the gun rest 37 in a desired pivotal position in the gun rest brackets 33 is effected by applying outward pressure on the respective wire pin grips 36 a in the respective adjusting pins 36 against the tension in the corresponding springs 39 (FIG. 4), pivoting the gun rest 37 on the bracket pivot pins 34 and manipulating the two bracket adjusting pins 36 into selected corresponding ones of the bracket adjusting openings 35 in the gun rest brackets 33.

[0019] In operation of the embodiment of the invention described above with respect to FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that since the support arm mount 21 is mounted on the rotatable pedestal support 6, the entire top frame 24, cover 28, support arms 22, gun rest 37, seat 2 and backrest 3 are allowed to pivot in a 360-degree range on the swivel device 11, which is located at the bottom end of the pedestal support 6.

[0020] In another preferred embodiment of the invention the swivel device 11 is eliminated from the seat assembly 1 and the bottom pedestal flange 9 is mounted directly to the base plate 18, typically using the mount bolts 7 b and nuts 15, to facilitate a fixed mount of the entire seat assembly 1, with no seat rotation (FIG. 2). This mounting of the seat assembly 1 offers good opportunity for accuracy in supporting and shooting a shotgun, rifle or camera in a selected field or direction, since the gun rest 37 is curved and allows resting of the gun or rifle at any point along its curved length between the two support arms 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.

[0021] In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention the seat 2 and backrest 3 are fully rotatable in a 360-degree range as described in the first embodiment above using a swivel device 11 located between the seat 2 and the pedestal support 6, and the support arms 22 optionally extend downwardly for fixed attachment (welding or bolting) to the base plate frame 16, as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 3. This expedient facilitates full 360-degree rotation of the seat 2 and the backrest 3 inside the fixed support arms 22, with the top frame 24 and the cover 28 located in a fixed position above the user.

[0022] It will be appreciated from a consideration of FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings that the seat assembly of this invention is versatile, in that it can be designed in both fixed and top and bottom pedestal rotatable configurations, depending upon the needs of the user. For example, and referring again to FIGS. 1-3, the seat assembly 1 can include the seat 2, backrest 3, pedestal 5, base plate frame 16 and the base plate 18. In this embodiment of the invention the bottom pedestal flange 9 of the pedestal support 6 of the pedestal 5 is attached directly to the base plate 18 of the base plate frame 16 (FIG. 2) and the seat 2 and backrest 3 are disposed in non-rotatable, fixed configuration, facing either forwardly or rearwardly, depending upon the selected positioning of the base plate frame 16 in the utility rack 41 of the all-terrain vehicle 40.

[0023] In another embodiment of the invention the pedestal support 6 of the pedestal 5 can be attached to the swivel device 11 in a top or bottom position as described above, or the seat 2 can be mounted on a rotatable pedestal support 6, the top portion or segment of which rotates with respect to the bottom segment, to facilitate selective or 360-degree rotation of the seat 2 and the backrest 3 with respect to the base plate frame 16 and the base plate 18. In this configuration of the seat assembly 1 it makes no difference how the base plate frame 16 is positioned in the utility rack 41 of the all-terrain vehicle 40, since the seat 2 and the backrest 3 are rotatably adjustable with respect to the all-terrain vehicle 40.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings in an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention the seat 2 and backrest 3, if used, is mounted on the top pedestal flange 7 of a pedestal 5. The pedestal 5 is, in turn, typically slidably mounted on the seat slide track 49 of a seat slide 48, attached to any convenient fashion to the utility rack 41 of an ATV 40, (illustrated in phantom). The top pedestal flange 7 may incorporate a swivel 11 and swivel bearing 13, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, or it may be fixed to the bottom of the seat 2 in any convenient fashion, including bolting and the like. Accordingly, since the seat slide 48 is equipped with a track slot 50 which accommodates a slot-engaging bracket 46, attached to the bottom end of the pedestal 5, the pedestal 5 and seat 2, as well as the optional backrest 3, may be adjusted forward and rearwardly as indicated by the arrows, as the slot-engaging bracket 46 moves in the track slot 50. A seat adjusting lever 45 is provided in the pedestal 5 and is threaded therein, extending to a cam (not illustrated) that forces the slot engaging bracket downwardly against the seat slide track 49 at any selected point along the length of the seat slide 48 to position the seat 2 in a forward or rearward position with respect to the seat slide 48, as desired. As in the case of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a pair of support arms 22 extend upwardly from a support arm mount 21 that attaches to the pedestal 5, to mount a gun rest 37, typically having padding 37 a. In a preferred embodiment the gun rest 37 is mounted as indicated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, to a pair of gun rest brackets 33 that operate to raise and lower the gun rest 37 in pivoting fashion on the gun rest bracket 33, as heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1-3. A top frame 24 may be attached to the top ends of the respective support arms 22 and may include a cover 28 for extending over the top frame 24 as well as downwardly and around the occupant of the seat 2, as well as from the ends of the top frame 24, further as heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. A pair of hand straps 43 may be provided on the support arms 22, as illustrated in FIG. 5 for ease in accessing the seat 2.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings in another preferred embodiment of the invention seat belt straps 44 may be provided on the seat 2 to facilitate security in using the seat assembly 1 and the seat assembly 1 is generally configured as illustrated in FIG. 5, with a swivel 11 provided between the respective top swivel plate 12 and bottom swivel plate 14, such that the swivel bearing 13 facilitates rotation of the seat 2 in typically a 360-degree range, along with the support arm mount 21, the support arms 22, the gun rest 37 and the top frame 24. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the base plate 18 may be of any desired size as contrasted in FIGS. 6 and 7, in order to fit the utility rack 41 of the ATV 40 illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0026] Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings in another preferred embodiment of the invention a seat gun rest 52 is mounted on a gun rest seat plate 51, attached to the seat 2 in any convenient fashion, typically by means of bolts (not illustrated). Furthermore, the pedestal 5 is secured in similar manner to the gun rest seat plate 51 at the top pedestal flange 7, while the bottom pedestal flange 9 is similarly secured to a base plate 18 of desired configuration for permanent or removable mounting on the utility rack 41 of the ATV 40, illustrated in FIG. 5. As in the case of the embodiments described above, a swivel 11 (illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings) can be provided between the top pedestal flange 7 and the gun rest seat plate 51 or between the bottom pedestal flange 9 and the base plate 18 to facilitate 360-degree or desired limited swiveling of the seat 2 and the optional backrest 3 with respect to the base plate 18 and the ATV 40.

[0027] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the seat 2 and backrest 3 of the seat assembly 1 of this invention can be configured of materials such as plastic, fiberglass and the like, and may incorporate padded material, including a seat cushion (not illustrated) for comfort, according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the various structural components of the seat assembly 1 are typically constructed of angle iron or round or square steel or aluminum tubing which may be welded or bolted together, as desired. Moreover, the base plate frame 16 and the base plate 18 can be configured and customized to fit in the utility rack 41 of any three or four-wheel all-terrain vehicle, such as the all-terrain vehicle 40.

[0028] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

Having described the invention with the particularity set forth above, what is claimed is:
 1. A seat assembly for removably mounting in an all-terrain vehicle, comprising a mount frame carried by the all-terrain vehicle; a seat pedestal carried by said mount frame; a seat mounted on said seat pedestal; and a rest extending from said seat for supporting a firearm or camera.
 2. The seat assembly of claim 1 comprising a first swivel mechanism interposed between said seat pedestal and said mount frame for rotation of said seat pedestal and said seat with respect to said mount frame and the all-terrain vehicle.
 3. The seat assembly of claim 1 comprising a second swivel mechanism interposed between said pedestal and said seat for rotation of said seat with respect to said pedestal, said mount frame and said all-terrain vehicle.
 4. The seat assembly of claim 1 comprising at least two support arms upward-standing from said mount frame and wherein said rest comprises a gun rest provided on said support arms for receiving a gun and sighting and firing of the gun from said seat.
 5. The seat assembly of claim 4 comprising a gun rest bracket provided on each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, at least two adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and locating said gun rest on said pivot pin at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle.
 6. The seat assembly of claim 4 comprising a top frame provided on said support arms above said seat and a cover provided on said top frame for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 7. The seat assembly of claim 4 comprising: (a) a gun rest bracket fixed to each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, a plurality of adjusting openings provided in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other in each of said gun rest brackets and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively disengaging and engaging said adjusting openings and pivotally positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle; and (b) a top frame provided on said support arms and a cover provided on said top frame, above said seat for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 8. A seat assembly for removably mounting in an all-terrain vehicle, comprising a mount frame carried by the all-terrain vehicle; a seat rotatably mounted on said mount frame; at least two support arms upward-standing from said mount frame in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other; and a gun rest provided on said support arms for resting a gun and sighting and firing of the gun from said seat.
 9. The seat assembly of claim 8 comprising a gun rest bracket provided on each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, a plurality of adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle.
 10. The seat assembly of claim 8 comprising a top frame provided on said support arms and a cover provided on said top frame above said seat for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 11. The seat assembly of claim 8 comprising: (a) a gun rest bracket provided on each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, a plurality of adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle; and (b) a top frame provided on said support arms and a cover provided on said top frame above said seat for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 12. The seat assembly of claim 8 comprising a seat pedestal carrying said seat and a swivel mechanism interposed between said seat pedestal and said frame for rotation of said seat pedestal and said seat in concert with respect to said frame and the all-terrain vehicle.
 13. The seat assembly of claim 12 wherein said support arms are connected to said seat pedestal for rotation with said seat pedestal and said seat.
 14. The seat assembly of claim 12 comprising: (a) a gun rest bracket provided on each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, a plurality of adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle; and (b) a top frame provided on said support arms and a cover provided on said top frame above said seat for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 15. The seat assembly of claim 8 comprising: (a) a seat slide carried by the all-terrain vehicle and wherein said seal pedestal is slidably mounted on said seat slide; (b) a gun rest bracket provided on each of said support arms, a pivot pin provided on said gun rest bracket for pivotally receiving said gun rest, a plurality of adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket and a pair of bracket adjusting pins provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all terrain vehicle; and (c) a top frame provided on said support arms and a cover provided on said top frame above said seat for protecting and camouflaging said seat.
 16. A seat assembly for mounting in an all-terrain vehicle having a utility rack, comprising a mount frame for attachment to the utility rack of the all-terrain vehicle; a seat slide carried by said mount frame; a seat pedestal slidably mounted on said seat slide; a seat mounted on said seat pedestal; at least two support arms upward-standing from said seat pedestal in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other; a top frame provided on said support arms above said seat and a cover provided on said top frame for protecting and camouflaging said seat; a gun rest pivotally carried by said support arms for receiving a gun and enabling sighting and firing of the gun from said seat; at least one gun rest bracket provided on at least one of said support arms and a plurality of adjusting openings provided in said gun rest bracket; and at least one bracket adjusting pin provided on said gun rest for selectively engaging said adjusting openings and positioning said gun rest at a selected angle with respect to the all-terrain vehicle.
 17. The seat assembly of claim 16 comprising a first swivel mechanism interposed between said seat and said seat pedestal for rotation of said seat with respect to said mount frame and the all-terrain vehicle.
 18. The seat assembly of claim 17 wherein said gun rest is connected to said seat for rotation with said seat.
 19. The seat assembly of claim 16 comprising a second swivel mechanism interposed between said seat pedestal and said seat slide for rotation of said seat, said seat pedestal, said mount frame and said gun rest with respect to the seat slide and the all-terrain vehicle.
 20. The seat assembly of claim 18 comprising at least one hand strap attached to said support arms for assisting an occupant into said seat, padding provided on said gun rest and seat belt straps provided on said seat for securing an occupant in said seat. 